The Dubbo Chronicles 5...Storms a brewing

The heat is finally starting to drop. This week we dipped to the low 30s, and we had rain last week for the first time in ages...

Above: A barn that looks like it will collapse under the weight of the impending storm

Below: Green crops that have been carefully irrigated through the drought 

I took these photos on my way out to my friends at Cumboogle.

Above and Below: The rain from their back porch

We all went and looked at the rain falling (as did Archie, the featured labradoodle), before returning inside to relax with a G&T; and then the frogs started to come out. I heard the noise first, a loud chorus of croaking. I went out and there were literally hundreds of frogs all over the ground and climbing the walls...

From their drive you could also see a  heard of wild goats on the adjacent farm...

So that was a lovely time. Meanwhile back at WBP we are excited to report that the electricity company have put in our transformer and mains power box, so very soon we won't have to run the farm on a generator any longer. The front entrance is almost complete; the wrought iron gates are being forged at the foundry, and they have also started on cutting the top soil away and laying down the bedrock for the driveway. It is a 700 foot long serpentine driveway, which will eventually be covered with weathered limechip. I finally feel like we are moving forward with it all, which is very satisfying. There are still a few small hurdles to jump, but we are still optimistic we will get the foundations in before the start of winter.

Our herd doubles...

Just before Christmas we doubled our Boer goat herd, with an additional 6 Does. They came from a lovely couple who had bred boer goats for years and had won several breed shows with their goats. They however wanted to spend more time with their family, and so were looking for a good home for their last few goats and someone had mentioned us. And we were delighted to have them.

We had got some large wooden cable drums from a friend, for them to play on...

And we have kitted  out every paddock with a new shelter in the corner, which can accommodate up to 25 small animals of most varieties...

Biding my time...

Only 2 weeks left until I fly to Melbourne to sit the exam. Study has been going well, but I wish it was  over and done as I have had enough and I want my life back!

I found this clip when I was having some down time, and it cheered me up - It's barking mad, but it cheered me up...

Anyway, soon it will all be over, and the Willowbrook Park blog will be having a relaunch party. 

Swing by on Saturday 12 May, for a new look blog with lots of interesting, [non-exam-related] posts on Art, Architecture, Design, Gardening, and Cooking! We look forward to unveiling the new look to you all soon.

Day out to a Goat Farm...

A couple of weekends ago we took a little trip up to Hunua to expand our breeding stock of Boer Goats and Suffolk Sheep. Here are some photos from the day...

Above: A very contented doe.

Below: Ngairie and the rest of the herd.

Below: The two does we chose, following us to the trailer.

Ngairie also showed us some Angora goats. Maybe we will add them to the menagerie next spring (they are very cute, but a little more maintenance than the Boer Goats).

Below: A lone horse nearby. I wonder how our horses are enjoying their holiday on the Costa del Whakamaru? (They are at a horse retreat being looked after while I prepare for my exams - 10 days to go...)

Introducing Bracken and Bramble, and Chestnut...

Yesterday we went to a place called Hunua, east of Auckland to pick up the lastest addtion to the Willowbrook Park Rare Breeds Farm - 3 Boer goats: a Buck - Bracken, a Doe - Bramble, and a little Wether called Chestnut...

Above: Chestnut

Above: Bramble

Below: Bracken

Boer goats developed in South Africa from an indigenous breed with the addition of some European, Angora and Indian breeds. The name comes from the Dutch word “boer” meaning “farmer” and was used to distinguish them from Angora goats which were imported into South Africa during the nineteenth century.

The present day Boer goat appeared in the early 1900s when South African farmers started selecting for a meat type goat.

The Boer goat is a large animal and is a specialized meat-producer. Landcorp first imported embryos of the breed into New Zealand in 1989 but they did not become commercially available until the mid-1990s when they were released from quarantine.

In New Zealand, purebred bucks are often used in grading-up programmes: many dairy goat farmers use a boer buck over some of their dairy goats does to produce kids that reach their goal weight faster than a purebred dairy goat kid would.

Each purebred is tagged, and registered with the NZ Sheep breeders association (previously the NZ Boer Goat Breeders assoc).

We can now start our own Boer Goat Stud, with a Buck and a Doe, but best of all, the Doe is already pregnant, and possibly expecting twins. We will keep you in touch this September. They are very cute animals, very agile, and ever so intelligent. They don't stop following you around the field all day, and aren't aggressive, like many goats are portayed. But, they are challenging our hitherto fine fencing, so before we loose our orchard to a midnight goat rampage, we will have to start doing some reinforcing.

Other species of goats can be very cute as well...